Marin center marks 25 years of helping young crime victims

Shaded by towering trees and neighbored by dozens of yellow wildflowers that dot an emerald green field, the Jeannette Prandi Children’s Center resembles a sanctuary. Little is heard on this side of Marinwood except birdsong and a murmur of traffic noise from Lucas Valley Road.

Inside the center is a small room where children can comfortably sit, color sheets of paper and speak with a law enforcement officer.

Behind a one-way mirror in a wall, detectives and prosecutors can listen to the interviews in order to learn about the abuse or trauma that a child victim of a crime suffered. Many visitors were sexually abused by adults.

“When you bring them in, it’s sometimes incredibly difficult for them to talk about it, and it also activates their memory of the violation they suffered,” Michael Grogan, a psychologist and the center’s project director, said about the trauma. “That’s why we want to reduce it.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the center, a collaboration involving the center’s staff, the San Rafael nonprofit Bay Area Community Resources, the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies across Marin. An event to observe the milestone is planned before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

More than 1,400 children in Marin County cases have been interviewed by law enforcement investigators, Grogan said.

The center’s staff also trains law enforcement officers in Marin on how to carefully interview children who were abused.

Thomas Boyd, a retired San Rafael police captain, served on the center’s steering committee. He described the times when a child victim in an abuse case was typically asked to recall their traumatic experiences during a long series of interviews with several police staff members and deputy district attorneys.

“It’s probably the most serious thing that happened in their lives, and they have to be repeatedly interviewed by people they don’t know,” Boyd said.

He said the Prandi Center was created as a way to reduce the number of interviews with the children and to have the interviews sensitively done by trained officers.

“Nobody was trying to do anything wrong, it’s just that everybody who were stakeholders in the investigation and in concerning the welfare of the victim came together,” Boyd said. “And that’s what this is.”

Grogan said that victims are interviewed by officers with at least 38 hours of training.

“It’s so they are very skilled and have the ability to connect with the child,” he said.

Boyd stood outside the center’s interview room and noted its setting.

“This was all designed to minimize the trauma to the child victim and to hopefully get enough stuff for a successful criminal prosecution and get the child some therapy they’re going to need,” he said.

Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli said victims of child sex abuse used to be questioned multiple times by investigators and prosecutors who were not trained in interviewing such victims of trauma.

“This resulted in retraumatized children and procedures that often harmed the chances of a successful outcome for justice,” she said. “The Prandi Center was a game changer, and continues to succeed and inspire.”

Long before an interview, the child and a parent are invited to visit the center and to get comfortable there. Grogan said parents are informed about the interview process, but they can’t be in the room with the child during the interview. He noted that a suspect’s defense attorney can accuse a parent of influencing his or her child if the parent joined the interview.

Between 2000 and 2023, 41% of the children interviewed at the center were between the ages of 6 and 11; 37% were in the 12-17 age group; and 74% were girls.

“Generations of our detectives have worked with Dr. Grogan and other stakeholders at the center,” Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina said. “I value our partnership with the JPCC, and their expertise has preserved evidence in many impactful criminal cases.”

Fairfax police Chief Rico Tabaranza, the president of the Marin County Police Chiefs Association, echoed the sheriff.

“The Prandi Center has created a refuge for victims and families throughout the years, fostering a collaborative partnership with law enforcement investigators,” he said. “Together, we gather crucial evidence for successful prosecution, delivering justice to those in need.”

During the Prandi Center’s early years, Grogan said, it was funded by Marin’s police agencies, county authorities and the Marin Community Foundation.

The center is currently supported by $179,000 in Child Abuse Treatment Program grant funding authorized by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. On April 15, county supervisors approved a $175,000 Child Advocacy Center Program grant from the state, which will help support the center.

Grogan said the center also has federal grant funding.

“At this point, those funds are vulnerable to be reduced or lost based on what the current administration is doing in reducing funds to organizations,” he said.

The Prandi Center is named after the first female sergeant in the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. Grogan said she was devoted to helping abused children.

Frugoli said she was among the women in law enforcement who were mentored by Prandi.

“She would be proud to see the progress we have made in reducing the trauma children suffer as a result of these crimes, and the services and support we provide to the victims and their families,” she said.

At the event on Tuesday, Supervisor Eric Lucan is scheduled to present a proclamation to the Prandi staff.

“For 25 years, the Jeannette Prandi Children’s Center has been a cornerstone in our efforts to support and protect children — advocating for victims, strengthening community and government partnerships, and ensuring every child’s voice is heard with compassion and care,” Lucan said.